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Pirates call up Harrison, Zagurski

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Zagurski strikes out the side 0:30

3/8/15: Mike Zagurski turns in a dominant outing from the bullpen, striking out the side in the fifth inning against the Orioles

By Tom Singer
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MLB.com |

DETROIT -- The Pirates shuffled their roster with the start of the next round of Interleague Play, putting outfielder Jose Tabata on the disabled list and optioning right-hander Bryan Morris to Indianapolis on Monday morning, replacing them with versatile Josh Harrison and lefty Mike Zagurski.

Zagurski had to be selected from the Triple-A Indians because he was not yet on the club's 40-man roster. That spot became available when Jeff Karstens was moved from the normal 15- to the 60-day disabled list.

Tabata has dealt for a few days with a left oblique strain, and the Pirates decided to DL him -- retroactive to May 25 -- to avoid having to play a man short.

"It wasn't an option to play with a short bench against this ballclub," said Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, referring to the Tigers, the Pirates' opponents for the next four games. "We wanted somebody [Harrison] who can go defend in multiple places. He can [play] right field."

Harrison is starting his third stint of the season with the big league club and was hitting .279 in 35 games with the Indians.

The Zagurski-for-Morris switch clearly was provoked by the presence in Detroit's lineup of left-handed slugger Prince Fielder, as well as a trio of switch-hitters.

"The speed of his fastball and the depth of his slider are both better than what we saw in Spring Training," Hurdle said of Zagurski, who had been one of the final preseason cuts after going through camp on a non-roster basis. "The numbers against left-handers have been good, but the numbers against right-handers have been silly."

Zagurski had a 2.14 ERA in 19 relief appearances for Indianapolis, with 37 strikeouts in 21 innings.

Morris appeared in 11 games for the Pirates, going 1-2 with a 3.45 ERA.

"He gave us a shot in the arm," Hurdle said of the righty. "He did some good things here, and I'm sure we'll see him again."

Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog Change for a Nickel. He can also be found on Twitter @Tom_Singer. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.